apricot saplings

decided to grow my own apricots, from seed. and it involves a little more than just planting a pit into some soil.
first, you need to oh-so-gently break open the outside hard shell, to retrieve the actual apricot seed inside. i used vice grips. the inside seed looks like an almond.

then, i soaked the seed in water for a couple of days, changing the water daily.

i placed the seeds into a little zip-loc paper bag, between some damp paper towels, and put them into the fridge for about 3 months. the cold and dark speeds up the germination process, and mimics the cold of winter in nature.


after a couple of months, the seeds should have sprouted and cracked open. i made some small planters from recycled newspaper, and put the seeds in their with some potting soil. in all, i have around 8 seedlings, about a foot tall, sitting inside on my shelf. when it gets warmers, i’ll transfer them outside into larger pots, and let them go. it’ll still be a couple of years before i can get any fruit, but i’m patient.


































